Syria Hands Over Terror Suspects to Turkey

Syria on Sunday handed over to Turkish authorities 22 people suspected of involvement in a recent wave of suicide bomb attacks against Jewish and British targets in Istanbul.

According to the semiofficial Anatolia news agency, the suspects fled to neighboring Syria shortly after the attacks. Citing a police statement, Anatolia said the detainees included Hilmi Tuglaoglu, a key suspect in the twin sets of truck bombings. His role was not specified, but he is deemed a close associate of Azad Ekinci, another prime suspect, who allegedly procured pickup trucks used in the bombings.

The first round was carried out Nov. 15 against two synagogues in central Istanbul. Those blasts were followed five days later by simultaneous suicide bombings of the British Consulate and the offices of London-based HSBC bank. At least 61 people, including the four bombers, were killed and more than 700 were injured in the attacks. All four bombings are believed to have been carried out by Turkish citizens involved in the Al Qaeda terrorist network.

Syria’s cooperation in the investigation is seen by some observers here as an effort to prove it is willing to help the U.S. in the war against global terrorism. The Bush administration has accused Syria of providing sanctuary to Islamic militant groups and to Iraqis loyal to toppled leader Saddam Hussein.

Sunday’s transfer came a day after a court charged another suspect with seeking to overthrow Turkey’s constitutional order, an offense that is equivalent to treason.

The man, identified by most major Turkish newspapers as Yusuf Polat, was arrested Tuesday as he sought to cross into Iran from the Gurbulak crossing in eastern Agri province. Turkish police said he confessed to having planned and issued orders for the attack against the Beth Israel Synagogue. At least 20 other suspects have been charged with lesser roles.

According to the daily Milliyet, Polat admitted being part of a 10-man cell that was an extension of Al Qaeda. Other newspapers reported that many of the suspects had either been trained in or fought alongside Islamic militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran.

Istanbul Gov. Muammer Guler said police were investigating possible connections between the suspects and international terrorist groups.